NHL: Player News and Rumors (Thread finished)

When it rains, it pours, in Flyerland!

Flyers' Niittymaki suffers hip injury
TSN.ca Staff
9/26/2006 6:53:47 PM

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Antero Niittymaki suffered a torn labrum in his left hip during Tuesday's morning practice.

"Antero Niittymaki tore the labrum in his left hip today at the morning skate," said Flyers GM Bobby Clarke. "The MRI shows that there is a tear and the MRI will be sent overnight to Dr. Thomas Byrd in Nashville, Tennessee. We won't know if surgery is necessary until tomorrow afternoon. If surgery is necessary, it will be six to eight weeks before he is back playing."

Niittymaki, 26, posted a 23-15-6 record, 2.97 GAA and .895 save percentage in 46 games for the Flyers last season. His 23 wins were tied for third among rookie NHL goaltenders and were the most wins by a Flyers rookie goaltender since Ron Hextall won 37 games during the 1986-87 season. In two seasons with the Flyers, Niittymaki has compiled a 26-15-6 record, 2.84 GAA and .899 save percentage in 49 career regular season games.

Goaltender Martin Houle has been recalled from the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, and will available to play in Tuesday night's game against the Washington Capitals at the Wachovia Center.
 

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Latendresse still in mix for Canadiens
Canadian Press
9/27/2006 12:02:49 PM

MONTREAL (CP) - Rookie hopefuls Guillaume Latendresse and Andrei Kostitsyn were still in the mix for a job Wednesday after the Montreal Canadiens made eight cuts from training camp.

Players sent to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL were goaltender Yann Danis, defenceman Danny Groulx and forwards Kyle Chipchura, Maxim Lapierre, Ajay Baines, Jonathan Ferland and Corey Locke.

Goaltender Carey Price was returned to Tri-City of the Western Hockey League.

Latendresse and Kostitsyn are battling for the one job open for a forward. Defence prospects Dan Jancevski, Andre Benoit and Ryan O'Byrne also remained in camp.

There are now 29 players in camp, including three inactive with injuries - forward Mikhail Grabovsky and defencemen Francis Bouillon and Jean-Philippe Cote.
 

Ten players to watch in the NHL
Canadian Press
9/27/2006 1:44:57 PM

(CP) - Another NHL season, another intriguing Pittsburgh Penguins rookie for fans to keep an eye on.

It's become a familiar story for the perpetual cellar-dwellers, who have started hoarding young talent like a gifted program at a high school.

Evgeni Malkin makes his much-anticipated NHL debut this season after fleeing his Russian league team over the summer. Considered the best player outside of North America last year, expectations are high for the skilled centre.

The only problem? Fans will have to wait about a month to see Malkin's debut after he dislocated his left shoulder during his first pre-season game.

A look at 10 players to watch this season:

1. Malkin, Pittsburgh. Turned heads at Penguins camp before suffering the shoulder injury. A good skater with quick hands, there seems to be no limit to the kind of rookie season he could have. Questions remain - how will his recent injury affect his initiation to the league? How will he adapt to life in North America? Will the ongoing dispute with his Russian team become a distraction?

2. Tomas Vokoun, Nashville. One of the best goalies in the NHL last year, he had 36 wins in 61 games before being sidelined late with blood clots. Is feeling healthy now, which has many thinking Nashville is on the verge of something special. Vokoun's the key to that potential success. "With Tomas (in goal), we've got a chance to win every game and every playoff game," said Preds GM David Poile.

3. Chris Pronger, Anaheim. Just might be the best acquisition of the off-season. The towering defenceman stood tall in Edmonton's playoff run last year and joins an Anaheim defence that already includes Scott Niedermayer. Pronger's presence on the West Coast could help the Ducks pile up wins.

4. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver. Question marks surround a Canucks team that has seen its share of changes, but Luongo might be the only answer Vancouver needs. Considered one of the game's best, he should see fewer shots than he did in Florida but one thing remains constant - as much as any other player in the NHL, his team's fortunes are tied directly to his performance.

5. Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose. Led the league with 56 goals last season. What can the man from Moose Factory do for an encore? Will get the chance to play a full season with Joe Thornton and could be the NHL's first 60-goal scorer since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr did it in 1995-96.

6. Cam Ward, Carolina. He's got a Stanley Cup ring and the Conn Smythe Trophy, but doesn't have a full season as a No. 1 goaltender under his belt. The 22-year-old was a big reason why the 'Canes won the Cup so it will be interesting to see if his solid play carries over. Martin Gerber's gone so Ward will be counted on for far more than the 28 games he played during the regular season in 2005-06.

7. Alex Tanguay, Calgary. He's the other man in Calgary's new dynamic duo. Tanguay had 78 points with Colorado last year but his performance in Calgary will be largely measured on how well Jarome Iginla performs alongside him. The Flames could be Cup contenders if the two find some chemistry.

8. Brendan Shanahan, N.Y. Rangers. Will he bring his best to Broadway? After 10 years and three Stanley Cups in Detroit, Shanahan joins a promising-looking Rangers team. If the veteran can match the 40 goals he scored last season, New York will have a formidable 1-2 punch with him and Jagr.

9. Saku Koivu, Montreal. He's the heart and soul of the Habs. Koivu's the Canadiens' top centre and captain but suffered a serious eye injury during last spring's playoffs. He is still without some peripheral vision and it remains to be seen how that will affect his performance over a long season.

10. Todd Bertuzzi, Florida. Coming off what many consider to be an "off" year with the Canucks - and still had 71 points. Free of the expectations and intense scrutiny he received in Vancouver, Big Bert could be poised to break out. Don't be surprised if he approaches the 100-point barrier.
 

Preds' feel they are a Cup contender
Canadian Press
9/27/2006 2:19:08 PM

(CP) - The Nashville Predators and Stanley Cup have rarely been mentioned in the same breath. Well, probably never in their eight-year history.

Year 9 is different.

"I really like where we are," said Predators GM David Poile, who has been there from the very first day. "I like the whole process of how we built this. I just feel like it's our time. I'm fully cognizant that there's other really good teams out there. But if don't have a really good year in terms of the regular season and playoff success, it will be disappointing based on how we feel right now.

"Winning the Cup is certainly a vision that we have."

That's about as bold as the usually reserved Poile can get. But for the veteran GM to even mention "Cup" says it all.

"My job is to go to training camp and have players and coaches and everybody in the organization believe that you can win the Stanley Cup," Poile said this week from Nashville. "And I think legitimately, this is the first time. Last year we had a good team but I'm not sure the belief was really there that we could win the Stanley Cup.

"But I think legitimately this year we have a chance."

Poile isn't alone in his assessment of his team. Observers around the league like the Preds a lot and generally Nashville is grouped along with San Jose, Anaheim and Calgary as the teams to beat this year.

The Predators were first-round losers to the Sharks in last spring's playoffs, in large part because star goalie Tomas Vokoun wasn't available due to a blood clot problem. But Poile points to another issue that factored into their downfall.

"Our shortcomings at centre ice really showed up against San Jose when we matched up with their top two centres, (Joe) Thornton and (Patrick) Marleau," said Poile. "That was a little bit of a mismatch. So I think with (Jason) Arnott and (Josef) Vasicek and hopefully a healthy David Legwand our chances at centre ice are better this year than they were in the past."

Poile's key move this summer was to bring in the 6-4, 220-pound Arnott, especially, as his No. 1 centre, but the 6-5, 214-pound Vasicek might be a sleeper if he stays healthy after battling a knee injury last year.

"Arny was a huge acquisition for our club," star winger Paul Kariya said this week. "We got a No. 1 centre who is just a powerhouse out there, a great offensive talent, terrific faceoff guy. And he's a big guy. I think one of the biggest differences in our team this year is that we're a lot bigger. Vasicek is even bigger than Arny. So we probably went from being a team with good speed but not a lot of size to a team that's got some bulk down the middle and can play a bit more of a power game.

"I think that was a bit of a weakness last year."

Added Poile: "I am very cognizant that the best teams in the league win with strength down the middle and I think we've done a good job to strengthen that position in the off-season."

Poile also signed winger J.P. Dumont from Buffalo, adding to a deep group at forward that also includes Kariya, Steve Sullivan, Martin Erat, Scott Hartnell and Scottie Upshall.

Which begs the question, where does rookie winger Alexander Radulov, who tore up the Quebec junior league last season for 62 goals and 91 assists in 62 games, fit in?

"He's got to beat out one of those guys to play on the top three lines," said Poile, mentioning the forwards above. "He's not a fourth-line forward. So that might be a little hard to do right now.

"He's had an excellent camp. There's no doubt in my mind that he's going to play for us. I just can't tell you when. We're very deep in forwards right now."

Some AHL seasoning might be in the offing.

"It's always been good for every player, the experience at the minor-league level," said Poile. "Last year Shea Weber was down there for most of the year, he played well when he came up late in the year. The time he spent down there was really good. So we'll figure it out (with Radulov). He's a terrific prospect, there's no doubt about that."

The defence is solid but young. Aside from veterans Marek Zidlicky and Kimmo Timonen, the Preds will count on youngsters Weber, Dan Hamhuis and Ryan Suter to round out the top five.

"Other than Timonen and Zidlicky, we're lacking a little bit in experience," agreed Poile. "That's one thing you could look at. But we think the potential is there."

Vokoun is back and healthy, coming off a season that saw him place fourth in Vezina Trophy voting as the NHL's top goaltender.

What's not to like?

"I think as a team and as an organization we're definitely looking to make the next step," said Kariya.
 

Penguins claim Stewart off waivers
TSN.ca Staff
9/27/2006 3:08:41 PM

The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed forward Karl Stewart off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.

Stewart, 23, has played for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League since 2003-04, playing five games with the Atlanta Thrashers during the 2003-04 season and eight games last season.

This past August, the Thrashers traded Stewart, a second round selection in 2007 and a conditional draft selection to the Ducks for defenceman Vitaly Vishnevski.

Stewart signed with the Thrashers as a free agent in 2001.
 

Oilers agree to terms with Bisaillon
TSN.ca Staff
9/27/2006 4:22:46 PM

The Edmonton Oilers have agreed to terms on a three-year entry level contract with defenceman Sebastien Bisaillon.

The 6'0'', 205-pound native of Val-d'Or, Quebec played the last four seasons with the Val-d'Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In 2005-06, the 19-year-old blueliner scored a career-high 71 points in 63 games as he finished as one of the leading scorers among QMJHL bluleiners.

He netted 35 goals and added 36 assists to finish fifth in scoring among QMJHL defencemen and he led all blueliners with his 35 goals.

In 200 career games with Val-d'Or from 2002-03 to 2005-06, Bisaillon scored 54-83-137 with 134 penalty minutes. Besides his 71 point season of a year ago, he also netted 15-33-48 in 69 games in 2004-05 and 4-14-18 in 67 games in 2003-04.
 

Cujo's pumped about the re-tooled team
Canadian Press
9/27/2006 4:51:10 PM

It seems like ages ago that Curtis Joseph was stealing the spotlight in Edmonton and Toronto with his trademark acrobatic saves.

Well the veteran goalie is as pumped about his 17th NHL season as he's been for any other and believes this year's version of the Phoenix Coyotes will get him back to the playoffs.

After helping a young and rebuilding club to a respectable 38-39-5 record last season, the 39-year-old native of Keswick, Ont., has loftier goals for his team this season.

''Oh absolutely, the expectations are higher,'' Cujo said Wednesday. ''Anything short of making the playoffs would be deemed a failure - even though it's extremely competitive to make the playoffs. But certainly we feel that's in our future, that's the feeling in the locker-room, that once we get in maybe we can make some noise.''

The off-season additions of defencemen Ed Jovanovski and Nick Boynton as well as veteran forwards Owen Nolan, Jeremy Roenick and top tough guy Georges Laraque have the Coyotes thinking bigger.

''We have made some notable changes,'' Joseph said from Anaheim, Calif., before a pre-season game. ''When you acquire a defenceman like Ed Jovanovski that can play between 25 and 30 minutes a game, he's just such a talent. I think he was one of, if not the best free agent available. That's a big plus for our team.

''Jeremy Roenick and Owen Nolan have looked extremely good in camp, so there's a lot of reasons for optimism.''

Jovanovski and Boynton join a blue-line that already includes promising youngsters Keith Ballard and Zbynek Michalek, as well as Derek Morris and Dennis Seidenberg.

That's a top-rate defence.

''Absolutely,'' said Joseph. ''I always say Derek Morris is one of the most underrated players in the league. And obviously Ballard and Michalek are a year older and they had outstanding rookie campaigns. The future looks bright, no question.''

Last March it wasn't clear where Joseph's future lay. With the Coyotes out of the playoff picture and Joseph due to become an unrestricted free agent in July, GM Mike Barnett took calls from four other NHL teams who had serious interest in acquiring the former Maple Leafs and Oilers netminder for the stretch run.

Barnett decided to approach Joseph's agent, veteran Don Meehan, to see how the goalie felt about things.

''I spoke to Donnie and I told him Curtis had been tremendous for us and that we would accommodate him in any way or fashion,'' Barnett said Wednesday. ''They got back to us very quickly and said he didn't want to go anywhere.''

So Barnett took him off the trade market and focused his energy on re-signing him, which he did in late May, more than doubling Joseph's salary in a US$2-million, one-year deal for the 2006-07 season.

''I was treated so well here last season,'' Joseph said in explaining his decision to stay. ''I know the direction the team was going with Wayne (Gretzky) being coach, it just was a nice fit for me, and my family certainly enjoyed life in the desert. Things worked out so well last year that I didn't want to change it.''

Just how long he intends to play remains a mystery even to himself. One year at a time.

''It is the cliche and it's a good one in my case,'' he said. ''As long as I'm contributing the way I feel that I would like to, then I will keep playing. Because I enjoy playing. If I can play well, I'll keep playing.''

Barnett got a bargain in August 2005 when he scooped up Joseph for a one-year deal worth $900,000, the Detroit Red Wings having made him a free agent when they declined to pick up an option year.

''We were fortunate in that we had a little bit of an inside edge in the person of Barry Smith,'' said Barnett.

Smith was an assistant coach in Detroit during Cujo's final year in Hockeytown and recommended him to the Coyotes after joining the Phoenix coaching staff.

Barnett knew Joseph had battled ankle problems his last season in Detroit but the NHL lockout year helped heal those issues.

''He played like he was healthy last year,'' said Barnett. ''And when he's been healthy, he's authored an elite career at that position.''

Limited to 31 games in 2003-04 in Detroit, Joseph understands why his 61-game, 32-win campaign last year was seen by many as a bounce-back year.

''Maybe it was a bounce back from injury,'' Joseph said. ''But I was pretty happy with how I played the last year in Detroit. I don't know what it looked like for outsiders but I felt good every time I was in net other than the ankle problems I had. Certainly last season was injury-free and it worked out great.''

The Leafs, meanwhile, have now moved on to their second starting goalie since Cujo's departure four years ago, Andrew Raycroft. Joseph wishes the former Bruins goalie all the best.

''I've only met him on one occasion, it was a Reebok photo shoot,'' said Joseph. ''But he seems like a great young man. You wish success for people who are good. Toronto is the biggest stage in the world for hockey and if he can make it there then he'll be set for a long time.''
 

Flyers in no hurry to trade for goalie
Associated Press
9/27/2006 5:29:47 PM

VOORHEES, N.J. (AP) - Although the Philadelphia Flyers could be without goaltender Antero Niittymaki for up to two months, the team is in no hurry to acquire a proven NHL backup.

Niittymaki, who tore the labrum in his left hip during a Tuesday morning practice, is awaiting results of tests and an examination to determine if surgery will be required.

The injury gives Robert Esche the chance to start most games in the early part of the season. Esche has played in 110 regular-season games since joining the Flyers in 2002.

On Wednesday, general manager Bob Clarke said he had been contacted by the Tampa Bay Lightning about goalie Sean Burke, a former Flyer. Clarke declined the offer, Burke was put on waivers Tuesday and cleared them.

Clarke said he will wait to find out how long Niittymaki will be out before making any personnel moves. If Niittymaki is out for a long time, Clarke indicated he may go after a veteran backup.

Rookie goalie Martin Houle will dress for the final two pre-season games, at New Jersey on Thursday night and at Washington on Friday night.

''He's a pretty good young goalie,'' Clarke said of Houle. ''But I'm not sure we want to have him just sit and watch.''

Coach Ken Hitchcock said he has no qualms about playing Houle, a 21-year-old St-Hubert, Que., native, who has yet to see NHL action.

''If it's Houle, we'll probably get him in some games,'' Hitchcock said. ''He's done well. I think with all the back-to-back games early in the season, it's unrealistic to expect Esche to play in all of those.''

Niittymaki was scheduled to be examined by Nashville-based hip specialist Dr. Thomas Byrd.

Byrd performed surgery on Niittymaki's right hip last May.

''We all feel bad for Antero,'' said right-winger Mike Knuble. ''He worked hard to get back and ready for camp. To find out the other one is injured has to be extremely frustrating for him.''

Niittymaki tied a Flyers rookie record with 23 wins last season.
 

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